


The Bet

by FanGirlofManyThings



Series: Adventures at the Kunai [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Betting, Drinking, F/M, Secret dating, bet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:30:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirlofManyThings/pseuds/FanGirlofManyThings
Summary: Sakura bets Naruto that she's right. Naruto is willing to take that bet.





	The Bet

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story in a series set in a bar called The Kunai. I've always aged the characters up in my head so when I wrote this I pictured them to be 19/20. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“No way!” Naruto shouted loud enough to be heard across the entire bar, he slapped his hand down on the table for emphasis. 

“Please don’t yell, I’m right next to you,” Sasuke droned moodily. 

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. Sakura sighed, this was a normal night at the Kunai for the three of them. She was just hoping it didn’t end in the usual way.

“Yes way,” Sakura told him. “There’s no way I’m wrong about this. Women have a sense for this kinda thing.” 

“I refuse to believe it,” Naruto said at a more acceptable volume this time. “There is no way they’re anything more than friends.”

“I’ll bet you the next ten mission reports that they’re dating,” Sakura said confidently. 

Naruto sized her up while she took a swig of her beer. She watched him right back over the top of her glass.

“You’re on,” he pointed his finger right in her face. “You learned from Grandma Tsunade. No way you know a good bet when you see it.”

She batted his finger away lightly and chuckled at him. 

“I only learned medical ninjutsu from her,” Sakura told him. “I didn’t need her to teach me how to gamble.”

“How are you going to prove it?” Sasuke asked breaking up the impending off topic argument. 

“We’ll just ask them,” Naruto said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“We can’t do that,” Sakura countered. 

“Why not?” Naruto looked puzzled, eyebrows knitting together. 

“They’ll just deny it even if it’s the truth,” Sakura told him. “It’s not a fair way to figure it out.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Naruto asked defensively. 

“We ask someone close to them,” Sakura told him. 

She pointed across the crowded bar. Naruto followed her finger to where Rock Lee was animedantely telling a story to a disinterested Kiba, a politely interested Hinata and Shino. Sakura had a hard time figuring out what Shino was feeling when she was standing next to him, let alone across a crowded, dimly lit bar.

“You want to ask Kiba?” Naruto asked scratching the top of his head. 

Sasuke shook his head and chuckled, “You really are an idiot.” 

“Hey what did you say!?” Naruto yelled half rising out of his seat to tower over the still seated Sasuke. Sasuke didn’t react to Naruto at all; he just took a sip of his beer. 

“Sit down Naruto,” Sakura leaned across the table to tug on his arm. “You’ll get us thrown out again.”

Naruto grumbled to himself but sat down regardless. Sakura knew he never meant to get them thrown out, but the bartender had a no tolerance policy about fighting. Which, seeing as how the Kunai was almost strictly a shinobi bar, was a wise policy. 

“For the love of the Hokage, why would Kiba know if Neji and Tenten are dating,” Sakura asked slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. Naruto might be the village savior but he was still the village idiot.

Naruto simply shrugged at her. He didn’t seem too concerned that the others considered him wide of the mark. 

“Try again, dumbass,” Sakura taunted. 

Naruto’s eyebrows furrowed together as he stared across the room. He seemed to be pondering all the possibilities. After a long moment his face lit up. 

“Hinata!” He all but shouted. 

“Well she might know,” Sakura conceded. “But someone else over there spends even more time with both Neji and Tenten.” 

“Well it’s not Shino,” Naruto said slowly. 

Sakura nodded her head encouragingly. Naruto would get there eventually, it would just take a minute. 

“Rock Lee then!” Naruto concludes triumphantly. 

“Yes,” Sakura said in a flat voice. 

Before she had a chance to say anything else, Naruto was on his feet.

“Yo, Rock Lee!” Naruto bellowed across the room. 

Rock Lee spun around and searched the sea of people for who had called him. When he found the energetically waving Naruto, his face lit up. He bounced on his toes and returned the wave with just as much enthusiasm. He turned back around and shortly his three companions were nodding. He then made his way through the crowd in a series of leaps and bounds. 

“Hello my friends!” Lee declared sliding into the empty seat next to Sakura, holding a glass of water. 

“Hi Lee,” Sakura greeted him. 

Sasuke said nothing but gave Lee a small head nod in acknowledgement. Lee returned the nod with much more energy than Sasuke.

“Lee we need to ask you a very important question,” Naruto said with excitement. 

“Ask away, friends,” Lee gave them a bright smile. “I am glad to assist in any way I can.”

“Are Neji and Tenten dating?” Naruto asked. 

Lee glanced over to where his teammates were sitting with a couple other shinobi. While the two were seated next to each other they didn’t appear overly close. However, Sakura did notice that they each had a hand under the table, conveniently the hand closest to the other.

“I have often wondered the same thing,” Lee informed them. 

“You mean you don’t know one way or the other?” Sakura asked, a little confused. 

If Naruto or Sasuke was dating someone, especially another shinobi, she would want to know. Emotions played a big part in a battle. She had been confident that Rock Lee would be able to settle this for them.

“Well they have never told me they are dating,” Lee told her. “But they often spend time alone together. And sometimes when I approach our training grounds I can hear noises that don’t sound like sparing at all. Then when they can see me they tell me they were sparring but they look embarrassed.”

“You’re so gonna owe me the next ten mission reports,” Sakura taunted Naruto over her beer. 

“No way,” Naruto shouted. “Lee said he doesn’t know for sure. That’s not proof.”

“They must have been making out before Lee showed up on the training ground,” Sakura pointed out. 

“Nuh-uh!” Naruto responded. 

“What else could they have possibly been doing?” Sakura asked incredulously. 

“They could have been like,” Naruto paused to think. 

Sakura watched him with a smirk. 

“They could have been giving each other massages or something,” Naruto told her looking satisfied with his answer. 

“Massages,” Sakura drawled raising one eyebrow. 

“Yup,” Naruto said. 

“That’s not something platonic friends usually do,” Sasuke said into his beer. 

“Shut up, Sasuke,” Naruto elbowed him in the ribs. “Who’s side our you on here anyway?”

“No ones,” Sasuke said rubbing the spot where Naruto had connected. “I was just pointing out a flaw in your logic.”

“Then point out the flaws in Sakura’s too,” Naruto waved an open palm in Sakura’s direction.

“I haven’t found any,” Sasuke monotoned. 

“Well anyway we still don’t have proof they’re dating,” Naruto said proudly. 

“With the amount of times I’ve found one of them sleeping in the others hospital room after a mission, I’m sure they’re dating,” Sakura said confidently. 

“Sakura may have a point,” Lee said. “Neither of them sleep in my hospital room when I am injured on a mission.”

“Ha!” Sakura punched the air triumphantly. 

“That’s not proof either,” Naruto complained.

“If they were just friends wouldn’t they do the same thing for Lee that they do for each other?” Sakura asked.

Naruto didn’t seem to have an answer to that question.

“Are you going to concede?” Sakura asked sweetly.

“No way!” Naruto slapped the table.

“Well we can’t let this drag on forever,” Sakura said.

“Fine,” Naruto bit out. “If we ask two other people with no proof that they’re dating you owe me those mission reports.” 

“Fine by me,” Sakura agreed. “But it’s going to be you doing the mission reports because he will totally know.” 

Naruto turned around and followed Sakura’s finger through the crowd again to find Gai-sensei at the bar. Naruto made to stand up again but Sakura caught his shirt sleeve. 

“Please don’t yell again,” She implored. “He’s going to walk by our table in a minute.” 

“How do you know that?” Naruto asked looking puzzled. 

“For a shinobi you really are unobservant,” Sasuke commented. 

“Shut up Sasuke,” Naruto glared at his friend. “I’m drinking in the Leaf Village not infiltrating enemy territory.”

Sasuke just made a sound of disapproval and took another swig of beer. Sakura gave Sasuke a hard look which he shrugged off. She did not need Sasuke goading Naruto into another fight, that’s what got them thrown out last week. She could swear Sasuke did it on purpose, not that he would ever admit that.

“I know that he’s going to walk by because he walked by on the way to the bar. Also he’s sitting like two tables behind us with Kakashi and the others,” Sakura explained to Naruto, tossing a thumb over her shoulder. 

“Ohhhh,” Naruto glanced over Sakura’s shoulder at their sensei. 

“So in an effort to not get thrown out of this bar for the third week in a row let’s just wait for Gai-sensei to come by. We can catch his attention then,” Sakura’s voice was sweet but her face said nonsense. 

The four of them made small talk while they waited. Well if Sakura was being honest, she, Lee and Naruto chatted while Sasuke sat there, occasionally making noncommittal noises at them. Sakura kept an eye on Gai-sensei over Naruto’s shoulder. It took him a while to collect his drinks, mainly because it appeared he kept telling the bartender stories.

“So anyway…” Naruto was in the middle of telling another story about a mission.

“Here he comes,” Sakura cut him off mid-sentence, with a short nod in Gai’s direction.

Gai-sensei was making his way through the crowded room, holding four beers and balancing a bottle of sake on his head. No one in the bar gave him a second glance, as this was not even the most anyone had ever seen Gai attempt to carry at once. Sakura was pretty sure his record was 10 beers and a round of shots.

“Sensei!” Lee’s hand shot up as he waved down his instructor.

“Hello, Lee,” Gai boomed as he came to a halt next to their table.

“Bushier-brow sensei, we gotta ask you something,” Naruto said.

“Ask away,” Gai said jovially, resting the beers on the table.

“Do you know if Neji and Tenten are dating?” Sakura asked.

“Ya know,” Gai started. “I’ve never been quite clear on that. They do spend a lot of their down time together.”

Naruto groaned, loudly. Sakura shot him a disapproving look.

“Why did you want to know?” Gai asked.

“Naruto and I have a bet,” Sakura gestured between the two of them. “I think they are dating and Naruto says their not. Whoever’s wrong has to do the next ten mission reports.” 

“If I had to hazard a guess,” Gai said. “I would say they are. Lee, do you remember that mission last month where Tenten got injured?”

“Oh yes!” Lee exclaimed. “Neji carried her all the way back to the Leaf, even though she kept insisting she could walk. He blamed himself for weeks for her injury, even though it was clearly not his fault.”

“Mhmm-mhmm,” Gai managed to nod enthusiastically while keeping the sake on his head and not spilling any. “It was very unlike Neji. I have never seen him react like that to a teammates injury before.”

“You owe me ten mission reports, Naruto,” Sakura exclaimed triumphantly. 

“No way!” Naruto shouted. “That’s just a guess, not proof. Gai-sensei doesn’t know for sure.”

“I wish you luck in settling your bet but I must bring my thirsty companions their drinks now,” and with that Gai walked off. 

“Thank you sensei!” Sakura called 

Naruto cross his arms over his chest and looked smugly at Sakura, “One chance left.” 

“You’re just being stubborn,” Sakura retorted. 

She glanced around the bar for inspiration. There was no shortage of shinobi, Saturday nights at the Kunai were usually packed. But Tenten and Neji were private people, Neji more so than Tenten, not many people would know their secrets. And if Rock Lee and Gai didn’t know Sakura wasn’t sure who else to ask. Sakura sighed, there really only was one other person in the bar who might know. 

“I guess we’ll have to ask Hinata,” Sakura admitted. “She’s the only other person here who might know. But it’s a long shot that Neji would tell her anything.”

“You’re just afraid you’re gonna have to write those mission reports,” Naruto said. 

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Sakura retorted. 

“Fine then call Hinata over here,” Naruto taunted. 

“I will!” Sakura said with confidence she didn’t actually have. 

Sakura stared across the bar until she caught Hinata’s eye. The girl gave her a curious head tilt when she saw Sakura staring. Sakura waved her over with a bright smile. Hinata nodded firmly, said something to her teammates and slid out of the booth. She slipped delicately through the crowd, doing her best not to disturb anyone. 

“H-Hi, Sakura, Lee, Sasuke, Naruto,” She greeted them politely as she stopped next to their table. Her cheeks burned red when she got to Naruto. 

“Hi Hinata,” Sakura said with a smile. “Can you help us out with something real quick?

“Umm, I suppose I can try,” she said quietly. 

“Are Neji and Tenten dating?” Naruto asked. 

Hinata looked mildly shock at the question, “I don’t know. Neji’s never said anything and I don’t think he’s approached father about courting her.”

“Courting?” Naruto scratched his head, confusion clear on his face. 

“Um yeah,” Hinata said. “It used to be a lot more formal among the Hyuga but now it’s basically a formal declaration to date someone. Technically the elders and clan head can refuse the declaration and if the clan member goes against their wishes they risk expulsion from the clan.”

“Is it possible that Neji, just didn’t ask?” Sakura questioned. 

“Well I guess,” Hinata admitted. “But Neji doesn’t usually go against tradition.”

“What if he thought the clan wouldn’t allow him to date Tenten?” Sakura pressed. 

“Then maybe,” Hinata answered slowly sparing a glance at her cousin. “But he would have to feel very strongly for her to go against tradition like that.” 

“Well that’s it, Sakura!” Naruto declared. “No way they’re dating. Neji wouldn’t just go against tradition.”

“Love makes men do funny things,” Sakura responded. 

“Urgh!” Naruto groaned. “You’re being ridiculous. Just admit that you owe me the next 10 mission reports.”

Sakura held his eye for a long moment, “Fine.”

She knocked back the last of her beer, “I’m gonna get out of here. I’ve got a early shift at the hospital tomorrow.”

“We should go to,” Sasuke nudged Naruto. “We have that escort mission in the morning.” 

“Ugh,” Naruto groaned. “Don’t remind me. Escort missions are the worst.”

He threw back the last of his beer and stood up. Sasuke mirrored his actions. 

“We’ll be seeing you guys around,” Sakura said with a happy wave as she slid of her seat. 

“Come Hinata!” Rock Lee shouted grabbing Hinata’s wrist. “Let us revel in our youth!”

Hinata gave them a wave as she was dragged off by Lee. Sakura returned her wave cheerfully, glad she wasn’t the one being dragged around by Lee. 

She and the guys wove their way through the bar towards the door. It took them about three times as long as it should have because they kept getting stopped by people they knew. Eventually, though, they spilled out of the bar and into the dark night. 

“I can’t believe I lost that bet,” Sakura moaned as they turned towards their homes. “I was so sure they were together.”

“I guess Granny Tsunade rubbed off on you after all,” Naruto joked. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Sakura said coming to halt at the entrance to the alley between the Kunai and the weapon store. 

“And why not,” Naruto said stopping next to her.

“Because of that,” Sakura said pointing down the alley. 

Mid-way down the alley two figures could be seen, kissing in the shadows. Specifically the shadows of a woman with two buns and a man with waist length hair. 

“No,” Naruto yelled, dramatically sinking to his knees. 

“Yes!” Sakura yelled triumphantly. 

The pair in the alley jumped apart. They turned slowly towards the noise. They were tense for a moment but relaxed. Then the woman came storming up the alley at them.

“What the hell is your guys problem,” a blushing Tenten yelled.

“Naruto here,” Sakura gestured at him. “Owes me the next ten mission reports unless he’s gonna welch on our bet.”

“What bet would that be?” Neji asked cooly, sliding up behind Tenten. 

Sakura felt a blush rising in her cheeks as she explained, “I bet Naruto the next ten mission reports that you two were secretly dating.” 

Neji said nothing, simply stared long and hard at Sakura. Sakura avoided his gaze and resisted the urge to twist her fingers together.

“Seriously is that what you guys were doing all night?” Tenten asked sounding slightly exasperated.

“It was very annoying,” Sasuke droned. 

“I was curious,” Sakura admitted. “I had seen how you two acted in the hospital when one of you was hurt.”

“Spying isn’t polite, Sakura.” Neji admonished. 

“I wasn’t spying,” Sakura said defensively. “I just had some night shifts and I had to check vitals.”

“Well since you caught us anyway, we might as well tell you,” Tenten glanced up at Neji with a smile on her face. “Yes, we are together but we’d prefer you didn’t go spreading it around. We haven’t even told Lee and Gai-sensei yet.” 

“Your secret’s safe with us,” Sakura said pulling Naruto to his feet.

Neji nodded, “Thank you.”

Sakura nudged Naruto in the direction they needed to go, “We really should get going.”

“See you around,” Tenten said with a wave as she and Neji started in the opposite direction. 

“Have a good night,” Sakura called over her shoulder. 

“Told you I was right, Naruto,” Sakura said smugly. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto said dismissively. “I’ll do the mission reports.”

“Hell yeah you will!” Sakura cried. 

“Are you two done now?,” Sasuke asked in a monotone. 

Without hesitation both Sakura and Naruto stuck their tongues out at Sasuke.

**Author's Note:**

> The next story for this series should be up soon! 
> 
> Suggestions for future stories are welcome!


End file.
